|  Home  |  Old Testament Studies  |  Deuteronomy Table of Contents  |  Previous Section  |  Next Section  |

DEUTERONOMY 14

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS TO 14:1-16:17

1. Deuteronomy 14:1-2 is a preliminary affirmation that Israel, as YHWH's unique people (cf. Exod. 19:5-6), must live like it!
   
   
2. Deuteronomy 14:3-16:17 is a recapitulation of some main covenant requirements of God's people set forth in Exodus ‒ Numbers
   1. Clean vs. unclean food in Deut. 14:1-21 is originally found in Lev. 11:1-23.
   2. Tithes in Deut. 14:22-29 are originally given in Num. 18:21-29.
   3. Debt cancellation in Deut. 15:1-11 is originally given in Lev. 28:8-38.
   4. Freeing Hebrew slaves in Deut. 15:12-18 is originally given in Lev. 25:38-55.
   5. Redeeming the firstborn in Deut. 15:19-23 is originally given in Exod. 13:1-16.
   6. The three annual pilgrim feasts in Deut. 16:1-17 are originally given in Lev. 23:4-8 and also Num. 28:16-29:40.
      (Outline from Old Testament Theology, by Paul R. House, p. 184)
   7. The summary nature of Deuteronomy is clearly seen. Often the laws are slightly changed for the new setting.

It must be stated again that moderns do not know the how, when, or why of the structure of OT books.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 14:1-2
 ¹"You are the sons of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead. ²For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."

14:1 "You are the sons of the Lord" Notice the family imagery used as covenant terminology (cf. Deut. 1:31; 8:5; 32:5).

Note the three special titles for the Israelites used in Deut. 14:1-2.

1. you are sons
2. you are a holy people
3. you are a chosen people

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD

▣ "cut yourselves" The VERB is BDB 151, KB 177, Hithpoel (a rare variant of the Hithpael stem) IMPERFECT and is often found in "gashing" or "cutting" texts. This was a pagan worship practice (either to get the attention of the deity or cause feelings of mourning for the dead, cf. Lev. 19:28; 21:5; 1 Kgs. 18:28; Jer. 16:6; 41:5; 47:5; 48:37).

SPECIAL TOPIC: GRIEVING RITES

▣ "shave your forehead" This ("making baldness," BDB 901) also refers to the mourning rites of surrounding nations (cf. Jer. 16:6; 41:5; Ezek. 27:31; 44:20; Amos 8:10). Many of the laws of Israel were given in direct opposition to regular Canaanite practices! This was meant to separate Israel from all social and religious events of the Canaanites.

▣ "for the sake of the dead" The mourning rites described are connected to:

1. ancestor worship (i.e., the dead could know about and affect current life)
2. Ba'al worship (the dying [winter] and rising [spring] nature god of the Canaanite pantheon)

14:2 "holy people" The concept relates to Israel's task of revealing YHWH (cf. Exod.19:6; Deut. 7:6).

Deuteronomy typifies covenant language, which describes deity as "the Lord your God" and His "holy," "chosen," "special treasure" people (cf. Deut. 4:20; 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; 28:9; 29:12-13). Also notice Jeremiah (cf. Jer. 7:23; 11:4; 13:11; 24:7; 30:22; 31:1,33; 32:38). And of course, who can forget the marital imagery of Hosea 1-3!

▣ "the Lord has chosen you" The VERB (BDB 103, KB 119, Qal PERFECT) is used of God's sovereign choice of:

1. Abraham, Gen. 12:1; Neh. 9:7
2. the Patriarchs, Deut. 7:8
3. the descendants of the Patriarchs, Deut. 4:37; 10:15
4. Israel, Deut. 7:6; Ps. 135:4; Isa. 44:1,8; 43:10; Ezek. 20:5
5. Jeshurun (Israel or Jerusalem), Deut. 32:15; 33:5,26; Isa. 44:2
6. an Israeli king (a symbol of YHWH's rule, which would foreshadow David [cf. 1 Sam. 10:24; 16:8,9,10; 2 Sam. 6:21], who became a Messianic figure), Deut. 17:14-17
7. place for His name to dwell (i.e., central sanctuary), Deut. 12:5,11,14,18,21,26; 14:24; 15:20; 16:2,6,7,11,15; 17:8,10; 31:11

God's sovereignty and purpose is expressed in His choice of Israel. God's "choice" in the OT is always related to service, not necessarily salvation, as it is in the NT. Israel was to reveal YHWH to the whole world, so that all the world might be saved (cf. Gen. 12:3; quoted in Acts 3:25 and Gal. 3:8).

SPECIAL TOPIC: HE CHOSE US

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

▣ "a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth" The term "possession" (BDB 688) means a special treasure (cf. Exod. 19:5; Ps. 135:4; Mal. 3:17). This phrase is recurrent in Deuteronomy (cf. Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 26:18).

Please read the SPECIAL TOPIC: THE TENSION BETWEEN OLD COVENANT PROPHETIC MODELS AND NEW COVENANT APOSTOLIC MODELS! From this you will see the way I view the interpretation of Scripture! It shows the integrating center of my worldview (i.e., the Great Commission)!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 14:3-8
 ³"You shall not eat any detestable thing. ⁴These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, ⁵the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep. ⁶Any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. ⁷Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these among those which chew the cud, or among those that divide the hoof in two: the camel and the rabbit and the shaphan, for though they chew the cud, they do not divide the hoof; they are unclean for you. ⁸The pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. You shall not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses."

14:3 "You shall not eat" Verses 3-21 reflect Leviticus 11:2-19, but with differences. It is differences such as this which are so hard to explain that have caused the speculation of numerous literary sources (i.e., editors). Notice the VERB "eat" (BDB 37, KB 46) is used 17 times in this chapter.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE OT FOOD LAWS

▣ "detestable things" This phrase is BDB 481 CONSTRUCT BDB 1072.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ABOMINATIONS

14:5 "the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck" These are wild animals unclean for sacrifice but not for food. They are not mentioned in Leviticus 11 because they were unknown in Egypt. Several of the animals are difficult for moderns to identify specifically.

14:6 "Any animal that divides the hoof and. . .chews the cud" This is the basic guideline for a sacrificially clean animal given in Lev. 11:4.

The phrase, "divides the hoof," is an intensified form (VERB BDB 828, KB 969, Hiphil PERFECT CONSTRUCT with the NOUN BDB 828) as in Deut. 14:7. To this description is ombined a second intensified form (VERB BDB 1042, KB 1608, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE CONSTRUCT with the NOUN (BDB 1043). This description is very specific and clear.

▣ Some animals which only partially fulfill the two requirements ("divides the hoof" and "chews the cud") are listed in Deut. 14:7.

This animal (BDB 1050 I) is apparently mentioned in Lev. 11:6 as "hare" or "rabbit" (see UBS, Fauna and Flora of the Bible, pp. 69-70). It is interesting that Leviticus says (as assumed here) that the rabbit chews the cud. This is a good place to remind readers that the Israelites based their knowledge of nature on observable characteristic (phenomenological language). Rabbits do not, in actuality, chew the cud, but the rapid movement of their noses look as if they do. This is not an error in the Bible, but the recognition the ancients based their knowledge on observation, not modern, scientific methods or classifications.

14:8 "pig" The pig was eaten and used in sacrificial ritual by the Canaanites (cf. Isa. 65:4; 66:3,17). It was classified as unclean because of its eating habits (the same is true for dogs) and preferred resting places (mud holes). Pigs were sacrificed regularly in Hittites, Greek, and Roman cultures. They were also eaten (by some groups) in all of the Mediterranean cultures. For an extended discussion of food and sacrifices of the Ancient Near East see ABD, vol. 6, "Zoology," pp. 1109-1167, for pigs, see pp. 1130-1135; also note UBS Fauna and Flora of the bible, pp. 80-81.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 14:9-10
 ⁹"These you may eat of all that are in water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat, ¹⁰but anything that does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.

14:9 "anything that has fins and scales" This is the basic guideline of Lev. 11:9-12. Again the exact reasons for the prohibitions are not given anywhere in the OT. See note at Deut. 14:3.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 14:11-20
  ¹¹"You may eat any clean bird. ¹²But these are the ones which you shall not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, ¹³and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, ¹⁴and every raven in its kind, ¹⁵and the ostrich, the owl, the sea gull, and the hawk in their kinds, ¹⁶the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, ¹⁷the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, ¹⁸the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. ¹⁹And all the teeming life with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. ²⁰You may eat any clean bird."

14:11 This parallels Lev. 11:13-19. The reason for the "uncleanness" is not stated, but it seems obvious that the listed birds ate carrion.

14:13 Obviously, there is a textual problem here where the same bird is listed twice. None of us like these textual problems because of our commitment to inspiration and our view of the trustworthiness of Scripture. However, remember the MT is not the original Hebrew text.

It seems there was a confusion between the Hebrew "R" and "D" which confused later scribes.

1. והדאה, BDB 178, a bird of prey, possibly a kite
2. והראה, MT, often translated "buzzaard"

See UBS Fauna and Flora of the Bible, pp. 40-41.

UBS, Fauna and Flora of the Bible, p. 61, has "Driver in HDB suggests that there are eight Hebrew words for owls, arranged in descending order of size in the list of unclean birds in Lev. 11:16-18 and Deut. 14:15-17."

See note above.

See note above.

14:18 "hoopoe" This type of bird (BDB 189) eats all kinds of insects, including dung beatles. It became known for its eating in unclean places and having a dung-filled nest, therefore, it became an "unclean" migratory bird. See UBS, Fauna and Flora of the Bible, p. 42.

14:19 "teeming life" This phrase (BDB 481 CONSTRUCT BDB 1056 and 733, cf Gen. 7:14,21) refers to flying insects. This is paralleled in Lev. 11:20-23, where some insects are clean to eat (i.e., locusts, cf. Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6). These insects are the food for many of the unclean birds listed.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 14:21
 ²¹"You shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the alien who is in your town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people to the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

14:21 "You shall not eat anything which dies of itself" This may reflect Exod. 22:31. One reason was because the blood was still in it (cf. Deut. 12:16,23-25; Gen. 9:4). This law did not apply to everyone in the Promised Land (i.e., aliens and foreigners were exempt, but note Lev. 17:15). These food laws were meant to separate Israel from Canaanite society and worship practices.

▣ "you are a holy people" See SPECIAL TOPIC: HOLY

▣ "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk" The Ras Shamra (see Cyrus H. Gordon, Ugaritic Handbook, p. 174) texts show that this was done in other cultures as a symbol of fertility. Judaism developed strict dietary rules (separate cooking vessels and plates for meat and dairy products) based on this verse. However, the thrust seems to relate to Canaanites' sacrificial worship (cf. Exod. 23:19; 34:26). It has little or nothing to do with disease or hygiene. This is a glaring rabbinical misunderstanding and manmade regulation (i.e., Isa. 29:13)!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 14:22-27
 ²²"You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. ²³You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. ²⁴If the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you, ²⁵then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. ²⁶You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. ²⁷Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you."

14:22 "tithe" Numbers 18 discusses the tithes for the local Levites as well as the priests at the central shrine. However, this passage parallels chapter 12 and deals mostly with local agricultural tithing issues. See notes at chapter 12 and SPECIAL TOPIC: TITHES IN THE MOSAIC LEGISLATION.

14:23 "at the place where He chooses to establish His name" See note at Deut. 12:5.

▣ "fear the Lord" See SPECIAL TOPIC: FEAR (OT)

14:26 "You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires" This refers to items to be tithed at the central sanctuary. This is parallel to Deut. 12:20. This phrase must drive "legalists" crazy! YHWH desires our happiness! He just wants to share it with us (cf. Deut. 12:7,18; 16:14; 27:7; 1 Chr. 29:22; Ps. 104:15; Eccl. 2:24; 3:12,13,22; 5:18; 8:15; 9:7-9; Isa. 22:13). The NT even widens this concept by clearly stating that nothing in the physical creation is unclean in and of itself (e.g., Mark 7:19; Acts 10:15; Rom. 14:2,14,20; 1 Cor. 6:12; 10:23-33; 1 Tim. 4:4). This is not meant to give humans a license to sin, but to encourage Christian freedom from legalism and judgmentalism (cf. Col. 2:16-23). However, the mature believer will be careful while in this fallen world to do nothing that might offend a weaker brother for whom Christ died (cf. Rom. 14:1-15:13)!

SPECIAL TOPIC: CHRISTIAN FREEDOM VS. CHRISTIAN RESPONSIBILITY

▣ "strong drink" This (BDB 1016) was wine to which other natural fermented juices were added to make the percentage of alcohol higher (i.e. more intoxicating).

SPECIAL TOPIC: ALCOHOL (fermentation) AND ALCOHOLISM (addiction)

▣ "there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord" This refers to the peace offering whereby God and the offerer and his family symbolically ate together (i.e., Leviticus 3). In the ancient East, eating together was the sign of covenant.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 14:28-29
 ²⁸"At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. ²⁹The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do."

14:29 "the alien, the orphan and the widow" Deuteronomy is emphatic in its care of all who lived in the Promised Land (cf. Deut. 10:18; 26:12-15)! This third-year tithe was for the Levite and the local poor.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. What criteria was used to decide what was clean and what was not?
2. Are these laws from God? If so, why don't we observe them today?
3. What was the purpose of the tithe?

|  Home  |  Old Testament Studies  |  Deuteronomy Table of Contents  |  Previous Section  |  Next Section  |

Copyright © 2014 Bible Lessons International